A review of family-friendly The Rectory Hotel
By Holly Rosen Fink
The Rectory Hotel (Courtesy The Rectory Hotel)
The Rectory Hotel, located in England’s Cotswolds region, is a true family getaway. With its modern décor and rustic features, it finds a way to hold steadfast to British culture with tradition while appealing to both young children and their parents.
The hotel is in a grand Georgian country house on three acres of walled beautiful gardens. It makes a perfect spot for a family to rest their heads after a day of exploring the Cotswold triangle of Tetbury, Malmesbury and Cirencester. It’s relatively small, which makes it feel more like a home base, with its twelve uniquely decorated rooms. It offers a lot of character through its decor as well as an abundance of comfort and enjoyment through all its simple touches.
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Why Go
Inside the Rectory Hotel (Courtesy The Rectory Hotel)
The Rectory Hotel is incredibly cozy with a colorful, inviting lobby with comfy chairs and magazines, and a small bar that offers champagne and snacks throughout the day. It also couldn’t be more child-friendly. There’s an outdoor heated Victorian-style pool and English gardens with play equipment for kids to play in and run around. There is also onsite dining as the hotel also offers food in its own dining room or across the road in its sister gastro pub, The Potting Shed, really simplifying family travel.
Room Options
The Crickley room at The Rectory (Courtesy The Rectory Hotel)
All of the 12 rooms have names on the doors to add character and range from standard to superior and deluxe. Each offers an abundance of light, antique furnishings and books, a cozy sofa and armoire, and a king or twin size bed depending on the room size. The bathrooms are well equipped with a bath and shower. Each room comes with Roberts retro radios, TV/DVD players and organic Bramley Skincare products. Views range from the gardens to the village church or of the hotel’s lovely Victorian pool. There is also free hot tea and coffee outside the rooms in the hallway. Another perk includes free bottles of spring water in each room. The hotel has cribs and extra rollaway beds as needed for young children.
Just for Kids
Kids will enjoy the hotel’s space and comfort, as well as access to the outdoors. The hotel offers equipment to play a game of croquet or boules on the lawn, and of course, there’s the pool for a swim when the temperature is warm. For more active travelers, there are several local villages full of shops to explore. Cirencester is a mere 10-minute drive from the hotel, or the hotel is only an hour drive from the legendary Stonehenge and Bath, a British town known for Roman baths.
Where to Eat
Dining area at The Rectory (Courtesy The Rectory Hotel)
Breakfast is included and is served on the main floor in the back room overlooking the garden. The decor is quintessential English and traditional china is used. They offer continental breakfast items, which includes cereals, yogurt and bread, as well as cooked dishes, which include everything from smoked salmon and scrambled eggs to Gloucestershire Old Spot sausages, Wiltshire smoked back bacon and black pudding.
Dinner is served on the premises and is quite popular amongst locals. Guests can also cross the road and head to the Potting Shed, a gastro pub, where the decor is very much in the same vein as the Rectory Hotel, partly because it’s run by the same owners. The restaurant boasts stone walls, retro flower pots, wheelbarrows, watering cans, and most importantly, delicious food. Even Prince William and Princess Kate have been known to frequent the Potting Shed.
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Getting There and Getting Orientated
The Rectory Hotel is just 70 minutes from the Paddington Station in London. If driving, it’s eight miles from Junction 17 off the M4 in the Village of Crudwell, three miles after Malmesbury.
Insider Tips
The Rectory Hotel and grounds (Courtesy The Rectory Hotel)
- Check the Internet for specials to find the best deal on the hotel.
- Speak to the concierge to get tips on what to do and where to eat, and do research in advance of your trip.
- Encourage your children to experience the outdoors as the Cotswolds are truly magical.
- If you are planning a trip to Stonehenge, do your research in advance and book tickets as the lines are quite long.
Holly Rosen Fink of The Culture Mom contributed this to MiniTime. She is the founder of Pivoting Media who blogs about her love of culture and travel.
